Jens Martin Knudsen (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Jens Martin Knudsen was a Faroese
footballer
who played as a goalkeeper.
He was perhaps best known for wearing a hat in his matches as a result of an injury he suffered at age 14. He later become known as "the bobble hat goalkeeper".
. In 1992 he moved to GÍ Gøta
to win a Faroese championship medal four times in a row between 1993 and 1996. After two seasons in Iceland with Leiftur he returned to the Faroe Islands and spent a short time on loan at Scottish team Ayr United before moving back to Leiftur for one more season. In 2001 he finally returned to his NSÍ again to become player/manager. He retired from playing football at the age of 40.
, and his penchant for wearing a white, wooly bobble hat. Knudsen made his debut in an August 1988 friendly match against Iceland
, the country's first FIFA
-recognized match.
The Faroe Islands pulled off one of the most famous upsets in football history in their first official competitive match, by beating then World Cup 1990 competitors Austria
1-0 in a UEFA 92
qualifier. Knudsen was one of the heroes on that night, pulling off a massive string of saves and becoming a cult hero in the process. At the time he was a part-time forklift truck driver from the Runavik
fish factory. Also, due to the aforementioned hat, in international football journalism he earned the nickname "The Keeper with the Bobble Hat."
On the BBC
TV series Fantasy Football League
in 1996, he appeared with presenters Frank Skinner
and David Baddiel
on the shows famous segment Phoenix From The Flames to re-create the famous moment. David and Frank played the part of the Austrian strikers and Jens played the part of himself, saving their shots exactly the same as in the actual match with the real footage played after. A running gag
seen in the sketch, was two people dressed as Egypt
ian pharaohs, getting confused thinking the islands are near there hence the name, only to be told by Frank Skinner "You've got it all wrong, the Faroe Islands are near Iceland
", only to receive a reply in a stereotypical Egyptian accent of "Oh you mean the freezer place
!". Jens is later seen standing outside an outlet of the store holding up a piece of card reading "FAROE ISLANDS".
He played his final international match on 14 May 2006 against Poland
. He is the third most capped player for the Faroe Islands, with 65 caps to his name.
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played as a goalkeeper.
He was perhaps best known for wearing a hat in his matches as a result of an injury he suffered at age 14. He later become known as "the bobble hat goalkeeper".
Club career
Knudsen started his career as an amateur footballer for local team NSÍ RunavíkNSÍ Runavík
NSÍ Runavík is a Faroese football club, playing in Runavík founded March 24, 1957. In 2003 NSÍ participated for the first time on a European stage.In 2007 the club won the Faroe Islands Premier League for the first time....
. In 1992 he moved to GÍ Gøta
GÍ Gøta
Gøtu Ítróttarfelag was a football club based in Gøta, in the Faroe Islands. It was founded in 1926. The club colours were yellow and blue. They played at the Serpugerdi Stadium...
to win a Faroese championship medal four times in a row between 1993 and 1996. After two seasons in Iceland with Leiftur he returned to the Faroe Islands and spent a short time on loan at Scottish team Ayr United before moving back to Leiftur for one more season. In 2001 he finally returned to his NSÍ again to become player/manager. He retired from playing football at the age of 40.
International career
He is famous for his 65 appearances for the Faroe Islands national football teamFaroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
, and his penchant for wearing a white, wooly bobble hat. Knudsen made his debut in an August 1988 friendly match against Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
, the country's first FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
-recognized match.
The Faroe Islands pulled off one of the most famous upsets in football history in their first official competitive match, by beating then World Cup 1990 competitors Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
1-0 in a UEFA 92
1992 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...
qualifier. Knudsen was one of the heroes on that night, pulling off a massive string of saves and becoming a cult hero in the process. At the time he was a part-time forklift truck driver from the Runavik
Runavík
Runavík is a comparatively urbanised village in the Faroe Islands. It lies on the south half of the isle of Eysturoy. The municipality of the same name incorporates 14 settlements including Æðuvík, Rituvík, Saltangará, Glyvrar, Lambi, Lambareiði, Søldarfjørður, Skipanes, Skáli, Skálafjørður,...
fish factory. Also, due to the aforementioned hat, in international football journalism he earned the nickname "The Keeper with the Bobble Hat."
On the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League is a British television programme hosted by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. The Programme began on BBC Radio 5 and was hosted by Dominik Diamond before transferring to BBC 2, with three series being broadcast from January 1994 to May 1996...
in 1996, he appeared with presenters Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
and David Baddiel
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after...
on the shows famous segment Phoenix From The Flames to re-create the famous moment. David and Frank played the part of the Austrian strikers and Jens played the part of himself, saving their shots exactly the same as in the actual match with the real footage played after. A running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
seen in the sketch, was two people dressed as Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian pharaohs, getting confused thinking the islands are near there hence the name, only to be told by Frank Skinner "You've got it all wrong, the Faroe Islands are near Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
", only to receive a reply in a stereotypical Egyptian accent of "Oh you mean the freezer place
Iceland (supermarket)
Iceland is a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Iceland's primary product lines include frozen foods, such as frozen prepared meals and frozen vegetables - hence the name of the company...
!". Jens is later seen standing outside an outlet of the store holding up a piece of card reading "FAROE ISLANDS".
He played his final international match on 14 May 2006 against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
. He is the third most capped player for the Faroe Islands, with 65 caps to his name.
Personal life
- Knudsen is married and has four children.
- Knudsen became national gymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
champion and represented the national handballTeam handballHandball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
team as an outfield player. He played for several seasons for the Faroese top flight handball club "Tjaldur".